6 Years Ago

Six years ago this morning I was waking up to the waves lapping the fine white sand in front of my beach front cottage. The sky was Sapphire blue and the tropical waters were a crystal clear aqua. I tried to absorb every moment, to memorize every detail so that I would always remember. I was in Anguilla, and I was getting married!

I remember being amazed by a wild hermit crab crossing our path as my mom and I were walking to the resort for breakfast. I had hermit crabs as a child, bought on the boardwalk at the Jersey shore. I had never seen one in the wild. It was beautiful.

I didn't realize that, in many ways, my encounter with the wild crab would be the highlight of my day. My wedding didn't go as planned, nor was it what I envisioned when I was younger. I didn't have a wedding disaster that would land me on the Dr. Phil show. My sour memories resulted from a culmination of events.

As I was getting Scott's clothes ready for the wedding (he was on the neighboring island until the wedding) I realized that my cat Sophie had urinated all over his shirt. We tried to air it out, but the damage was done. He reeked of cat urine, and there was nothing I could do.

My mom and I had appointments to get massages and our hair done for the wedding. We arrived at the ritzy Cuisinart Spa and were quickly ushered into the swank changing area. We both slipped on our terry cloth robes only to discover that they didn't fit. The "one size fits all" robe was not ample enough to cover our wide American bums. The attendant must have heard us laughing because they immediately brought larger, slightly uglier robes to wear. Despite the bigger robes, we both felt like beached whales and it was difficult getting into the pampering mood.

I was specific that I wanted a non-denominational wedding ceremony. Unfortunately the Officiant ignored my directive and delivered a religious service. The flowers were ugly and the cake was horrible. I missed my friends and my family. I underestimated the difficulty I was going to have walking on the sand in my prosthetic. I was limping and my gait was awkward. I never felt pretty.

My wedding was missing the "feel" of a wedding. It felt like a family vacation with a wedding one afternoon. I never felt like the "pampered bride" as we were busy trying to keep our families entertained. The trip was the antithesis of romantic.

We have a video of our ceremony which I have never viewed. I tried once, but became overwhelmed by regret and turned it off. A destination wedding is an ideal option for some couples. I realized too late that it wasn't right for me. I regret the way in which we were married, but I've never regretted marrying Scott.

This morning I woke up to the sounds of our cats fighting. Robby was crying because he had "a boogie on his finger" and didn't know where to put it. Before I could grab a tissue he had wiped it on my nightgown. Six years ago today I was wearing a white dress covered with lace. Today I'm wearing a pink nightgown covered with stains and now boogies. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Happy Anniversary Scott!